SuperRugby - Stormers v Bulls - 31/03/2012

[TRF_heineken]

@heineken I think you misunderstood my post somewhat. Akona is playing excellent rugby, better than say Habana by a country mile. What I was implying with my post was that I think sometimes teams are forced to pick a certain amount of "quota" players, but to call Akona a quota would be a slap in his face. I like him a lot, he is very underrated and he consistently performs very good.

JJ normally covers 11, 13 and 14 and Bjorn would move to 15 if Zane gets injured.

I understood completely Bull, it's just that while you have a point regarding the dreaded "Quota" argument, it can't be implemented in this regard, with any of the Bulls so-called "Quota" players as they are all playing on merit. Akona has proved time and again that he's a brilliant right-winger, and while JJ has shown glimpses of brilliance, I will keep him on the bench as an impact player, like Hougaard was a couple of season's ago.

 

[Bull]

Agreed. I hear Craig Joubert is the ref for this game and some Stormers fans have already started the excuses. I don't know how anyone can say he favours the Bulls, the guy is a complete idiot.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Agreed. I hear Craig Joubert is the ref for this game and some Stormers fans have already started the excuses. I don't know how anyone can say he favours the Bulls, the guy is a complete idiot.

LOL! that's a bit harsh, and I don't know why the Stormers fans are complaining as I was always of the impression that he has his knives in for the Bulls...

What the Bulls have to be careful of though is going off their feet at ruck time, of which Jacques Potgieter does a lot, because Joubert will blow them up all game...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

agree, think he will be a vey good fullback given the opportunity

He certainly has the speed and ability to run it from deep and is strong enough to keep standing whi;e help arrives if he gets caught at the back but does he have a good kick? Can't seem to recall him clearing the ball but then agian he runs the ball back from deep so effectively he doesn't really need to does he.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Can't see why Stormers fans are complaining about Joubert. If anything his pedantic way of blowing the whistle should count in our favor as I can see us having the upper hand in the set pieces and I believe we have the better discipline of the two teams. Barely - on both accounts - but I think we should come out on top in the line-outs with Elstadt also there to ply pressure on the Bulls' through-ins and I'm backing Kitshoff to get the better of Kruger.. Harris might put us under pressure though particularly up against Greyling who I rate as he lifts his arm very high before engagement and makes it almost impossible for the opposition tighthead to get a good bind.

 

[TRF_heineken]

You know, I've been reading you guys saying how crap Kruger is, and I honestly don't understand how you can say that... he's the only player in the Bulls squad to play every super rugby game since 2009!! He's consistent in every aspect of the game and he scrums very well. Being blown up twice or so in a game is not something to cry about, as it's most of the times *** for tat.

I for one think he's going to drill Kitshoff and with Greyling doing the same on the other side of the Scrum to Harris, I can see a tough day at the office for the stormers at scrum time.

 

[Bull]

I just hate how inconsistent all the refs are at scrum time, they don't have a clue whats going on. Binding and dropping the bind being a big problem, hand on the ground, but I think my biggest gripe is the engagement calls as every ref uses his own discretion. Best is to adapt early to the ref.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I just hate how inconsistent all the refs are at scrum time, they don't have a clue whats going on. Binding and dropping the bind being a big problem, hand on the ground, but I think my biggest gripe is the engagement calls as every ref uses his own discretion. Best is to adapt early to the ref.

Yeah, did any of you see what Kaplan did with the Bulls/Reds game? before engagement, he would hold onto the Hookers hands on top of the scrum until engagement, to feel which team engages before the call. Now that is one way to stop the problems, but until we get a ref who has actually played prop... this will always be a problem.

I for one think its a great idea to get the props some sort of handle or flap of clothing to aid them when binding as these new age jerseys are actually the main source of the problems.

 

[Gena_ZA]

Every supporter I know favours some ref and hate some others for their own reasons, it just depends on what you hear, read and belief in your own circles.
Saying that this supporter *****es about this ref has no value at all. If a ref is that k@k, he will loose his international status - see Mr Bryce has, to the dismay of the average Australian supporter surely.
A team needs to play and adapt to to the ref or they will suffer.

Werner Kruger is not crap at all, maybe not an Os du Randt but certainly better than a Wikus Blaauw from WP.
Regarding JJ vs. Aikona - still rate JJ higher as a player, screw colour and that stuff, does not come into play when I watch rugby

Just hoping for a fair & hard honest rugby match between these two great South African teams.

 

[SomeOke]

Bulls getting cocky after smashing a sub-par reds side.

The best pack you've faced so far was the Blues and we all know what happened there. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, you will not find us to be such an easy nut to crack.
Super keen for the game .

 

[Bull]

Bulls getting cocky after smashing a sub-par reds side.

The best pack you've faced so far was the Blues and we all know what happened there. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, you will not find us to be such an easy nut to crack.
Super keen for the game .

Hahaha mate please the same could be said for some Stormers supporters. The Stormers struggled against an unknown Lions team so the same could be said about you guys.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Bulls getting cocky after smashing a sub-par reds side.

The best pack you've faced so far was the Blues and we all know what happened there. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, you will not find us to be such an easy nut to crack.
Super keen for the game .

In that game an Interception and some poor kicking by Morne Steyn was our downfall, not the forwards... Also we didn't have Francois Hougaard for that game.

So be careful what you say, nobody here has been cocky before you started saying this utter nonsense!

 

[cyRil]

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

 

[Shosoloza]

Bulls getting cocky after smashing a sub-par reds side.

The best pack you've faced so far was the Blues and we all know what happened there. Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, you will not find us to be such an easy nut to crack.
Super keen for the game .

I read through all the previous post and really struggle to find any cocky comments......until I read yours.

I had a second look at the blues game and don't think we were on the back foot regarding the forwards. It was just one of those games where everything went right for them (intercept try early on) and everything went wrong for the bulls (morne kicked poorly for the first time in ages and bounce of charged off ball didn't went our way).

Another interresting fact about the blues game is that we were penalised into the ground at scrums and the next week against you they got penalised into the ground at the scrums. Just wondering.

Regarding the reds, it is quite true that they were hammered by injuries and disruptions, but only in the backline. They still field a very powerfull pack and got demolished. Something that your coach (for whom I got alot of respect) also pointed out.

I agree that you wont be an easy nut to crack especially at newlands, but it definately will be cracker

 

[SomeOke]

Sorry guys really didn't mean to give any offence! I'd had a few beers when I made that post and was probably just feeling a little defensive, it doesn't help that my bulls supporting mates in real life are giving me **** as well .

Didn't mean anything by it, just friendly pre-game trash talk. Will be a cracker and my heart says Stormers but my head isn't so sure!

 

[TRF_heineken]

Sorry guys really didn't mean to give any offence! I'd had a few beers when I made that post and was probably just feeling a little defensive, it doesn't help that my bulls supporting mates in real life are giving me **** as well .

Didn't mean anything by it, just friendly pre-game trash talk. Will be a cracker and my heart says Stormers but my head isn't so sure!

Take it from the Bulls... Leave the trash talk for after the game...

 

[Gena_ZA]

at least this is better mannered than some of the other forums out there
Good luck to both teams, think I'll need a new liver afterwards

 

[SomeOke]

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Nic Koster, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.

Anyway those are the line-ups.
I feel the bulls have a slight edge in the front row in terms of pure physicality but we have an edge with our locks.
Loosies is a bit of a tougher one to call as I've never seen Elstadt play flank, but I do understand the reasoning behind his inclusion, although you guys definitely have the edge with 8th men based on form alone (although Duane is finally playing in his prefered position which may make a difference.

As for backline, we certainly haven;t played to what I would consider our potential yet so it would be nice to see some of our players come to the party (specifically, Peter G, JdV and JdJ) and your half-back pairing is out and out better. Outside backs I'd say are much of a muchness, and we both have a few decent players who can come off the bench and make a difference.

Sadly when I break it down like that the bulls certainly do look like they have the edge. It really depends on if some of our more dormant players bring their A-game.

 

[Draggs]

Newlands Stadium, Cape Town - (31/03/2012, 17:10GMT)

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[TRF_Ezequiel]

A moment silence for the rugby players who died earlier this week. Match just started and the Bulls look horrible in their shirts. Pretty in pink? Nah...

First tantrum already by Liebenberg.